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Despite not attending an official workshop last year, Allison and I met toward the end of 2013 to map out some new and updated goals for the coming year (see how I did on my 2013 goals here). Now that 2014 is drawing to a close, and our 2015 goals in progress, I want to look back on this year’s goals to give a little recap.

[Editor’s note: I had 27 mini goals for this year — many of which I did not meet — and what appear below are amended for clarity and mostly focus on the successes.]

CAREER:I write one essay per month. I submit my essays for publication (blogs or otherwise).

I did not meet the one-per-month quota, but I did submit one of my stories to a journal. And (big for me!) I was more open in letting those close to me read my work, which is often tougher than releasing it to the Internet at large.

Also, I had the honor of writing another pep talk for Allison’s NoExNo project, which received stellar feedback. The more people I can get on the Zero Fucks bandwagon, the better.

Spin class (almost died of exhaustion), trampolining (also almost died of exhaustion), and — you won’t even believe it — white water kayaking and rafting (almost died of exhilaration).

Haley and I also completed a bike ride from Midtown to my office in Rancho Cordova. At 26.2 miles round trip (a bike marathon!), it was the farthest I’ve ever biked consecutively.

PERSONAL:

I use my journal to write about positive things.

This is probably the goal I’m most proud of for keeping this year, and also that had the most overarching effect. I’ve kept a diary since I was exactly nine years old (thank you, whoever gifted me my first diary for my birthday that year).

I used to have pretty cut-and-dry entries (February 23, 1996: Today we watched our family life video. Our family got a new couch.), which melded into angsty teenage lusting (October 6, 2002: You know what? I’m really getting tired of having virgin lips. You know — never having kissed anyone.),and then college-era existential musings (February 8, 2007: Everyone is so individual it is amazing humans coincide at all.).

After college, I got out of the diary habit, only turning to it when I was upset about something. While it was certainly a good way to work through my feelings, I found myself focusing on the depressing.

So, this year, I avowed to keep an “awesome” journal, cataloguing every fabulous, smile-inducing thing that happened to me each day. And, guess what? I did it! Sometimes I got behind, but I always caught up, and now I have a year’s worth of amazing things to look back on.

I actively introduce myself to people I meet

The introvert in me had a really difficult time with this (per usual) and I wasn’t as good at this one as I hoped.

I read at least 12 books and start going to the library again.

Done and done. Joining a book club helped significantly with this goal. I surpassed it!